


Taken, the Reimagining

by JazzyJazz98



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Almost exactly the same as original story, Ambassador Frisk, Attempted Kidnapping, Dogs, F/F, F/M, Frisk "talks" but it's like the game and what they say is narrated, Gender-Neutral Chara, Gender-Neutral Frisk, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Hopefully slower than last time, I'm Sorry, It does get Sans and Frisk worried tho, M/M, Not as much as Chara, Officer Reader, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Child Abuse, Police, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Prejudice Against Monsters (Undertale), Rating May Change, Reader Is Not Chara, Reader Is Not Frisk, Reader has depression, Reader hates humans, Reader now has a dog, Reader-Insert, Rewrite, Slow Burn, Soul Talk, Tags Are Hard, Tags all over the place, anti-monster groups
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-01
Updated: 2016-11-30
Packaged: 2018-08-28 11:34:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8444266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JazzyJazz98/pseuds/JazzyJazz98
Summary: (I feel that "Taken" could've been more than it was when I initially wrote it. For one, I feel it was kind of rushed. This is my chance at rewriting and extending the story a bit.)Being a cop was a...bittersweet job. On one hand, protecting the innocent and giving people hope was a rewarding feeling. On the other hand, it showed you the true colors of about 99% of humans: they were fucking terrible and you hated them. So when you saw the infamous King of Monsters getting attacked during your off-day, you didn't hesitate at all to step in and send another piece-of-shit human to jail. Little did you know that your actions would lead to you meeting the best group of friends you could ever have, including a certain Master of Puns. But this group of friends would also bring you serious consequences. Yep, it was official: you really, REALLY hated humans.





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

 

It was a beautiful day outside. Birds were singing. Flowers were blooming. It was the perfect day for an afternoon picnic in the park. 

The old Monster King, Asgore Dreemurr, stood beneath some oak trees, a large box in his hands. He let out a thoughtful hum as he looked around. Once he was satisfied, he looked Toriel, who was standing nearby with a basket of her prized butterscotch pies.

"Well, Tori?" he began. "What do think? Perhaps this could be our picnic spot, what with all this nice shade." Toriel surveyed the area for a moment, before nodding.

"Yes, this will do," she replied. “Let us begin setting up.” With a nod, Asgore set down the box, pulling out a blanket and spreading it out on the grass. Toriel looked back, spotting Frisk nearby, picking some flowers.

“Frisk,” she called. “Come, dear one. It’s time to set up.” Frisk rushed after their adopted mother, carrying a bouquet of multi-colored flowers. They tugged at Toriel’s robe, asking her to look at them. Toriel smiled down at the child.

“Why, yes, my child, those are quite lovely. Hmm? What is that?” Frisk asked if they could make flower crowns for everyone, prompting the old she-monster to laugh. “Of course, dear. Now…” Toriel handed Frisk a set of styrofoam plates. “Be a dear and set these down on the blanket, alright? If you do well, I will allow you an early slice of pie.”

Asgore perked at the sound of that, and looked up at Toriel hopefully. Toriel rolled her eyes playfully.

“Yes, Asgore, that applies to you as well.”

With a wagging tail, Asgore began to brew some golden flower tea. He pulled a jug of water, a box of tea, and a teapot from the box, and after putting everything together, he heated the tea up with a fireball. The pleasant aroma soon filled the air, mixing with the smell of the pies, which Toriel was slicing up. Frisk set down the plates, napkins and cutlery, and very soon, everything was ready for their friends’ arrival.

BARK! BARK! BARK!

“What on Earth…?” murmured Toriel as a streak of darkness darted towards them from the park’s edge. As it got closer, Frisk recognized it as a dog, a German Shepherd, to be exact. When it got close enough, it stopped, tongue lolling from its maw. It stared intensely at the butterscotch pies.

“Golly,” Asgore began. “It seems someone else is eager to try your pie, Tori.” The dog licked its chops, confirming this. Frisk reached out a hand to pet it.

“Please, be careful, my child,” warned Toriel, looking concerned. “We are not sure where this dog came from. It could bite you.”

“Koda!” a voice suddenly called out, catching the dog’s attention. Toriel, Asgore, and Frisk looked up to see a human figure running towards them.

 

How embarrassing…

You had only stepped into the local donut shop for all of five minutes. You expected your dog, Koda, to be waiting outside for you as usual, his leash tied to a fire hydrant, but when you stepped outside, he was nowhere to be found. It wasn’t until you heard his barking coming from the park across the street that you realized, in horror, that he was running towards a family of two monsters and a human child. You had no time to process who they were as you sprinted across the street, calling out for your dog. You came to a stop in front of the family’s picnic, Koda staring up at you innocently, as if he hadn’t run away just to bother people.

“I am so sorry,” you said as you knelt down, grabbing Koda’s leash. You uttered a command for him to sit, which he obeyed. “He doesn’t usually run off like that...I-I really hope he didn’t disturb you folks too much.” You looked up, now taking a good look at the trio. Your breath caught in your throat as you recognized them from the news: King Asgore Dreemurr, Queen Toriel Dreemurr, and Frisk, the savior and Ambassador of Monsters. You stood there for a moment, dumbfounded that you were standing before such important people.

“Aha, worry not, my child,” Toriel said, raising a hand and smiling cheerfully. “I believe he wanted some pie.” Finally recovered from your stupor, you laughed sheepishly.

“Ha...that’s Koda, alright…” You gave the Shepherd a stern look. “Once he smells something, he’ll do anything to get it...heh...even if it means disrupting a nice picnic.”

“Oh, our picnic hasn’t begun yet,” said Asgore reassuringly. “No harm’s been done. In fact, there’s plenty of room if you wish to join us, isn’t that right, Tori?”

“Of course,” the goat-woman patted a spot on the blanket. “Feel free to sit down with us if you like, dear.” You were taken aback. You’d only just met these people, and they’re already inviting you to join them? You shook your head quickly.

“O-Oh, no, I couldn’t,” you said, backing up, pulling Koda along with you. “I wouldn’t want to intrude...Koda’d probably try eating everything...it’d be a huge mess.” You felt a tug at your pants, and looked down to see Frisk. They asked to pet Koda. “Pet him? Oh, well, sure. But you have to be careful and only pet the top of his head. He’s very picky about that.”

Frisk nodded, and carefully went to pet Koda’s head. Koda watched him intensely, and you held on tightly to Koda’s collar, keeping him still. Both Toriel and Asgore watched on curiously, although Toriel looked very nervous. Frisk’s hand delicately stroked the dog’s head. Koda’s tail swished gently, although you were still on alert. Koda wasn’t like most dogs; as goofy as he could be, he could turn aggressive very quickly, and the last thing you wanted was for someone to get bit, especially not the Monster Ambassador. Koda, however, was behaving surprisingly well, as if Frisk was a close friend instead of a stranger he’d only just met.

“I guess he’s taken a liking to you, huh?” you commented. You sat down on the blanket, and Koda took it upon himself to hop into your lap. “Well, maybe we could stay for a little. We’re not doing anything else and Koda looks like he’s having fun.”

“Splendid,” Toriel chirped. “Would you care for pie? Tea?”

“No thank you, ma’am,” you replied. “I’ll just eat my donuts.” You opened the bag of donuts you bought from the shop, their sweet scent mingling with the others. Koda glanced at you, licking his chops expectantly. You rolled your eyes, tearing off a small piece and tossing it to him. It was gone in less than a second.

“Oh,” Asgore began. “Excuse us, we never did ask for your name.” You told them your name, and Toriel smiled.

“What a lovely name, my child.”

“Ha, uh, thank you…” You felt your cheeks growing warming by the minute. In all honesty, this was all outside your comfort zone, and you were feeling the slightest bit uncomfortable. Of course, there was no way you were going to let these nice people see that.

It was then you remembered: your car was back at the donut shop, and if you left it there, there was a good chance it’d be towed. You got up.

“I need to move my car really quick,” you said quickly. “I’ll be right back. Koda, c’mon.” Koda simply rolled over without a care in the world. You tugged his leash. “Don’t be a diva, we’re coming right back. Come on now.” With a grumble that sounded vaguely similar to that of a moody teen, the Shepherd got up and followed you back to the donut shop.

 

Neither Asgore, Toriel, nor Frisk realized it, but they were being watched, and had been for quite some time. A man was standing a few yards away from the picnic, using the park's trees to hide himself. In his hands was a wooden bat, old, rust-covered nails jutting out of the top. Holding the bat at an angle, he stepped into view, slowly walking in the direction of the picnic. He wouldn't attack them directly; no,that'd be too obvious. Instead, he walked in a way that made it seem like he was going to simply walk past them. As he got closer, Asgore, Toriel and Frisk looked up at him.

"Afternoon," said Asgore politely. The man didn't reply, and Asgore looked disappointed. Toriel patted Asgore's shoulder, giving the man a hard stare he passed on. But as soon as both their backs were turned, the man struck.

"Monster scum!" he roared as he brought the bat down on an unsuspecting Asgore's head. 

"Huh?" was all the old king could murmur, before the bat collided with the side of his head. There was a sickening crack. Asgore crumbled to the ground, not even able to let out a cry of pain before he fell motionless on his side. 

"Oh my God!" Toriel cried, her mouth covering her hands. Frisk tried to run to Asgore's aid, crying out his name, but Toriel held them back. The man looked up at Toriel, a murderous gleam in his eyes.

"Hand over the brat," he demanded. "And I might just leave you alive, you Underground trash." Toriel's eyes narrowed, magical balls of fire forming in the palms of her hands. 

"I will not," she replied, her voice trembling as she held back her rage. She didn't want to be violent, especially now, when the humans were watching for any excuse to send the monsters back to their mountain prison. But this human crossed a line, and Toriel wouldn't hesitate to do what she had to. Frisk held onto her robe, shivering. As they looked around, they could see other humans watching from afar, but, much to their dismay, doing nothing to stop what was happening. 

"I warned you," the thug growled, before stepping forward, bat raised. He was just about to attack, when…

WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!

"Drop your weapon!"

Everyone turned to see you and Koda running to the scene. One your face wasn't the awkward, yet polite smile you wore moments ago, but instead, a fierce glare. The thug turned his weapon on you once his stupor came to pass. 

"Fucking monster-lover..." he hissed. "Why the hell are you defending this trash?"

"My child," said Toriel urgently. "Please stay back, I don't want you getting hurt."

“Sir, I’m only going to tell you this once,” you snapped, Koda barking madly and trying to pull away from you. “Drop your weapon and get your hands where I can see them, or I’ll send the dog!”

“Who the hell do you think you are?” The bat was turned on you, and the thug began to charge. “I’ll kill you, you traitorous shit!” You had no choice now. You let Koda go, and the Shepherd leapt forward, his powerful jaws tightening on the man’s arm. Koda dragged him down, screaming and struggling, the bat falling to the ground. The man punched at Koda, but Koda was determined, his grip never loosening. Once he had the man on the ground, you took over, pulling out a pair of handcuffs you had hidden on your person. Reciting the man's rights, you cuffed him. You stroked Koda's head.

"Good boy," you muttered quickly, before looking up at Toriel, who was holding Frisk close to her and kneeling by Asgore's side. She stared at you with eyes as big as saucers. You didn’t blame her for her surprise, but right now, Asgore’s life was possibly in danger. "Please, get him to a hospital."

"Not many hospitals in the city will take monsters," replied the distraught Toriel. "I-I must take him home and use my healing magic."

"If you must," you nodded. 

"My child...thank you...if you had not been here..."

"Don't mention it," you said quickly. "Just doing my job." You got up, pulling the thug with you. 

"Fucking traitor!" he was shouting. "Some fucking cop you are, protecting this filth. You're supposed to be gettin' rid of those freaks! They don't belong here!" You bit your tongue, holding back a harsh retort. He continued shouting his bigoted nonsense as you led him to your car, parked on the street near the bark. You put him in the back, before putting Koda in the K-9 kennel. Yes, you were, indeed, a cop. Today was supposed to be your off-day, but...when crime was around, you were obligated to stop it.

With Koda and the criminal put safely away, you headed back to Toriel and Frisk. The goat-woman was holding her hands up to Asgore’s head, a gentle, green glow emitting from them. Her eyes were a conflicting clash between fear and concentration. You stopped at a respectful distance.

“How can I help?” you asked.

You have helped us enough as it is, my child. That man called you a cop...many officers of this city do not think to help us. You...you are different, and I am sincerely grateful for that.”

“Well, I'm happy I was here to help when I was,” you said. You then looked at Frisk. “Are you ok?” Frisk gently whispered that they were. Despite the stoic expression on their face, their body shook like a leaf in a gale, causing you to frown. “Hey, it’s alright. He can’t hurt you now." Frisk muttered something about frequent attacks towards them, and that this was the first time a human helped them rather than encourage or ignore it.

"And it won't be the last," you added. "Unfortunately, the station doesn't really respond to monster calls unless it's the monster doing something bad. So here's what I do. Can I have your phone?" Frisk gave you their cell phone, and you put in your number. "If anything happens, call me. Me and Koda'll come as fast as we can." You glanced up at Toriel. "The same thing applies to you, Ms. Toriel."

"Bless you, dear," Toriel said, now sheding a tear of gratitude. "Bless you."

 

You let out a sigh as your entered your small home. Reaching down, you took off Koda's leash and immediately, he made his way to the kitchen. You rolled your eyes, a small smirk forming on your face. Typical Koda; he knew there were treats to be had after a job well done. You followed Koda to the kitchen and reached into the cookie jar, pulling out a doughnut-shaped doggy treat. Koda could barely contain his excitement as he spun and jumped frantically, begging for the treat with a high-pitched whine. You rolled your eyes again.

"Drama queen," you muttered, tossing the treat and watching as it was devoured in the blink of an eye. Now content, Koda left the kitchen, probably to go lounge on the sofa. You heated up some leftover chicken soup and joined him.

You flipped from channel to channel, trying to find something, anything that could entertain you. But the feeling of bitterness lingered inside you, draining any sort of positivity you tried to hang on to. Things got worse when you found yourself watching the news. There were several reports on monster attacks, and the many, many anti-monster groups that were contributing to these vile actions. Suddenly, you threw down the remote and stormed into your bedroom, shutting the door behind you. Your back hit the door and you slid down, sitting on the cold, wooden floor. You buried your hands in your hands and let out a miserable groan. You hated humans sometimes. 

Most times. 

99% of the time. 

Ok, you really hated humans, then. The only thing stopping you from wishing a full-on genocide on them was the fact that, you knew good people were out there. There were people in your life who you could never bring yourself to hate, people you’d take bullets for. Those were the people you swore to protect. Unfortunately, most people were entitled, selfish idiots. Whether it was denying monsters a peaceful life on the surface or..doing horrible things to each other, humans always had a way to make life on Earth absolute shit. It sickened you. It drove you crazy. It...it made you want to give up. What was the point of trying to serve and protect if people were going to keep causing problems? What was the point of anything good if there was always a lingering evil ready to destroy it? You hung your head, listening to Koda’s whimpering as he scratched at the door. It was cruel of you to do this to him. He didn’t deserve to stress because of your fit of depression. You knew this, but you couldn’t find the strength to get up.

“Go away,” you mumbled. “Leave me alone.”

But Koda stayed at the door, his whimpers growing louder. You tried your hardest to ignore it, but eventually, it got to you. You forced yourself up, flinging open the door. Koda wasted no time getting onto his hind legs, wrapping his forearms around you in a hug. You hugged him back, patting his coat.

“Good boy,” you whispered. “I’m sorry.”

Now, you couldn’t speak dog (unfortunately), but if Koda could speak now, you had a feeling he would say,

“It’s going to be ok, ____.”


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

 

You hadn’t even realized you’d nodded off. After the sleep inertia passed, you realized you were lying on the sofa. Koda was on the floor, chewing on his favorite tennis ball. He looked up at you and wagged his tail. Flashing him a grin, you pulled your phone from your pocket to check for any missed messages. And lo and behold, you did. It was from your friend and co-worker, John.

**John**   
_***Hey, I’m heading your way in about an hour. See ya then ;)** _

It all came flooding back to you. You were finally going out with him tonight, after months of him asking you. You figured that he wouldn’t give up until you said yes, so you decided to throw him a bone. But you had forgotten that it was tonight, and now, judging by the time the message was sent, you only had about 45 minutes to get ready.

“Shit, shit, shit, shit…” you muttered as you got up, rushing to the shower. You got out ten minutes later, and put on a pair of jeans and a nice shirt, nothing too fancy, but nothing that made you look like a slob, either. You stared at your officer’s belt, the one you wore earlier that day. You really didn’t want to use it on what could a decent evening...but...you couldn’t trust people enough to expect them to not do something stupid. Sighing, you put it on. After you were dressed, you filled Koda’s food bowl for dinner, and sat on the couch to wait.

Buzz…

You checked your phone again. Another text from John.

**John**   
_***Outside. Come out when you’re ready. :)** _

"Behave, alright, Koda?" you called as you headed out. Parked on the street was John in his patrol car. You got in, giving him a small wave as you buckled yourself in. He flashed you a wide, excited grin, and you couldn't help but laugh. You knew he liked you for quite some time, but right now, he looked like a kid at the candy store.

"You look good," he said, glancing you up and down. Your cheeks were instantly red.

"O-Oh, uh, thanks," you stuttered. God, you hated compliments. They were nice and all, and John was definitely a good guy, but...compliments made you absurdly uncomfortable, for quite a few reasons you preferred not to think about at the moment. You decided to change the subject. "So, where we going?"

 

“Well, I was thinking dinner, if you’re alright with that,” said John.

 

“Yeah, sounds good to me.” You smiled politely. Smiling back, John pulled out of your driveway, driving on the open road. You stared out of the window, watching houses and cars zoom by. Your hands clenched into fists, and in your chest, your heart felt as if it was going to burst. You liked John, you really did, but...you didn’t have very high hopes that this night would go well. But he looked so happy when you finally said yes to a date with him...You took a deep breath. You had to make this work, for John’s sake. 

 

 

John pulled up into the parking lot of a restaurant called Kelley’s, a casual dining restaurant he’d tell you about often. You never went to it yourself, but judging by the smell coming from inside, they had to be serving some pretty good food. You and John walked in and waited in a small line to be seated. After a while, you and John were given a nice spot in the center of the restaurant, and you were given menus and drinks. You glanced the menu over, feeling John watching you from across the table. 

 

“I’m really glad you’re here,” he said happily. “I, uh…” You looked up to see him blushing. “I hope you like it. It’s not too fancy or loud...I thought you’d like it.” Damn...he was so considerate…

 

“It’s pretty nice so far,” you assured him. “Thanks for thinking about me.” You flashed him a genuine smile, and his doubled in size. For the next few minutes, you both just talked. 

 

“So how’s Koda?” he asked. “Still being a goofball?”

 

“Don’t you know it?” you chuckled. “I think he was getting into a competition with one of the other K-9s during training today. Trying to show off who was the best at bringing down a suspect.”

 

“Haha...that sounds like Koda, alright. Sounds like a real handful. Kinda glad I’m not a K-9 handler.”

 

“It’s hard work,” you agreed. “But it’s worth it, I think.”

 

There was a pleasant silence, the hum of conversation surrounding you as you both sipped from your drinks. John looked down at his menu.

 

“See anything you like?” he asked. He then smirked at you. “‘Cause I do.” You hid your beet-red face behind your menu.

 

“I’ll get a ribeye,” you murmured awkwardly.

 

“Cool, cool. And I’ll get a burger.” John flagged down a waiter to take the orders (and the menus, to your dismay). There was another silence. You glanced up at one of the televisions hanging overhead. There appeared to be a news report on showing footage of events from earlier that afternoon. From the looks of it, people were being interviewed at the park...Your eyes widened. Was it...the incident?

 

Yep. You definitely spotted the words, “dog”, “attack”, and “Monster Ambassador” in the subtitles.

 

“Oh shit…” you heard someone say at another table. “The Ambassador got attacked?”

 

“Really?” another said. “Something happen to ‘em?”

 

“Nah, it says someone rescued them.”

 

“Damn, should’ve let ‘em alone, to be honest. To hell with ‘em and those freaks.”

 

You swallowed hard. Looking around, you could see more patrons looking up at the news report, shaking their heads and muttering their disappointment. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw that even John looked unimpressed by the news that someone had saved the Ambassador. Your heart sank. Even John? You wanted to have some hope that’d he’d at least be understanding, but it looked like you were a fool for even bothering to.

 

“Whatever,” said John, looking at you. “Someone’ll get that Ambassador soon enough. Then things can go back to normal.” You didn’t respond, but instead, stared at him bitterly. He looked back at you, a brow raised, apparently not realizing how much of a jackass he was making himself out to be. Shaking your head, you got up, quietly muttering:

 

“I need a smoke.”

 

 

Cloudy, white wisps surrounded you like a small fog, your lungs and nostrils pleasantly burning as you took in their musty scent. The evening breeze chilled the exposed skin on your arms. But the coldness of the air didn’t come close to how cold you were feeling inside. You knew it, you just knew something would go wrong tonight. Granted, it wasn’t something as big as some crazy shootout or something, but…Honestly, why were you even surprised? People were terrible. Even the nicest people you couldn’t trust, if tonight was anything to go by. 

 

You let out another torrent of smoke with a long sigh, leaning back in the bench you were sitting in. Did you even want to go back in there after what you found out? Honestly, no, you didn’t. You silently watched as a group of teenaged monsters entered the restaurant, talking and laughing. You sincerely hoped their day had gone better than yours. A few moments passed as you gazed up at the starry, night sky. Suddenly, your phone vibrated in your pocket. It was a text from John.

 

**John**   
**_*lol some monsters are trying to come into a human-only restaurant. fucking dumbasses XD_ **

 

Aw, hell…

 

Tossing away your cigarette, you got up and headed back inside. The monsters had been stopped by the hostess, who, despite her grin, stared at them with contempt and disgust.

 

“I’m sorry,” she was saying. “But like I said, we have a right to refuse service to anyone, and we don’t serve your kind.”

 

“But we didn’t do anything wrong!” one of the teens argued.

 

“You’re not being fair!” cried another. 

 

“Look, if you trespassers don’t leave in the next thirty seconds, I’m going to have to call the police to escort you out.” You could see John preparing to get up. You should your head, stepping forward. 

 

“No need,” you said, pulling out your wallet and flashing your badge. The hostess sighed in relief.

 

“Thank goodness,” she said. “Please, Officer, remove these monsters from this establishment.”

 

“May I ask why you’re refusing to serve them exactly?” you asked. The host stared at you as if you had suddenly grown a third eye on your forehead.

 

“Well, because they’re monsters, of course,” she replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

 

“And that’s a problem because…?”

 

“Haha...wait...you’re not seriously...defending these freaks...are you?” 

 

“Well, it is sort of my job to serve and protect, monsters included.” Your voice had no emotion behind it, despite your disgust and anger. Even with every human in the building staring you down, mentally labeling you as a “traitor”, you maintained your composure. You had to. For them. You glanced at the young monsters; they were looking at you with the same look of surprise Toriel had given you. You felt your determination to help them grow.

 

“They’re pests,” the hostess said, dropping her saccharine shtick and speaking in a more condescending tone. “You should be protecting your own kind and getting rid of them for us.”

 

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell me how to do my job,” you shot back, causing her to step back in shock. “Now, the way I see it, you have two choices. You could serve this nice group and treat them the same as any human guest, or be sued in court for discrimination. And I’d be all too happy to testify against you if need be.”

 

“____, what the hell are you doing?” you heard John say, but you ignored him. 

 

“So what?” snapped the hostess. “They won’t do anything and you know it.”

 

“Maybe,” you shrugged. “And when the monster community hears about it, they’ll boycott in front of your restaurant, driving away all your customers and causing you to lose thousands of dollars everyday until they either get what they want or are driven off. Now that may not sound scary, but losing that much money everyday adds up. Quickly. Not to mention the more...aggressive...activists who’ll go as far as to vandalize the place, or even come after you, all because you can’t be bothered to seat a few monsters. Really, there are many, many things that could go wrong.”

 

“Are...are you threatening me?” The hostess’ body was beginning to quiver; you were getting to her.

 

“No. I’m being logical. Now, what’s it gonna be?”

 

A lingering silence swept through the entire restaurant. A few beads of sweat formed on the hostess’ head. Your stare never left her, daring her to say something, anything to defend her toxic mentality. Eventually, she sighed.

 

“Follow me,” she grumbled to the monsters, leading them to a vacant table. John muttered something under his breath, standing up and walking towards you. 

 

“What the hell was that?” he hissed, towering over you. You stepped back.

 

“Just me doing my job,” you said bluntly.

 

“This was supposed to be a nice night between us,” John growled. “And you had to drag those...freaks...into it?”

 

“...Dude, if your idea of a “nice night” means allowing for some innocent kids to be discriminated against and harassed, then I’m sorry, but maybe you should try dating someone else.” John glowered at you, betrayal flashing in his eyes. But you had lost all concern for his feelings. You said your piece; you refused to date a bigot.

 

“Find your own ride home,” was all he said before he pushed past you, leaving. You didn’t look after him; you no longer cared.

 

_Typical,_ you thought. _All sunshine and roses until something doesn’t go your way. God, I hate people._

 

“Hey!” one of the monsters called out. “Officer, come hang with us!”

 

Well, it was better than trying to catch a bus home. 

 

 

“Man, thanks again for helping us back there,” one of the teens said on the ride to your home. You had learned his name was Snowdrake. “You’re pretty “cool” for a human. Get it? Cool?” You chuckled.

 

“I get it. And don’t mention it, really. You guys didn’t deserve to be treated that way.”

 

“A rebel, huh?” another teen, Chilldrake, said, nodding in approval. “I like that.”

 

“Heh, you could say that. Oh, turn right here, please?” The Ice Cap at the wheel reluctantly tore his gaze from his hat’s reflection in the rear view mirror to turn right. 

 

“Hey, we never did get your name, did we?” said Snowdrake.

 

“It’s ____,” you replied. Snowdrake’s eyes widened. Chilldrake removed his shades to get a better look at you.

 

“____?” echoed Snowdrake. “You mean...THE ____? As in, the cop who saved our Ambassador earlier today?” Your heart skipped a beat. How did they…?

 

“Dude, monsters have been talking about you all day on the Undernet,” Chilldrake explained, leaving you puzzled as to what the hell an “Undernet” was. “Bro, we’re meeting the ultimate badass right here!”

 

“Can we get a selfie?” asked Snowdrake, fishing his phone out of his...feathers? You were tempted to say no (you really hated pictures, and knowing that people had pictures of you at their disposal), but...damn it, you couldn’t say no to such a nice kid. 

 

“Sure.”

 

You instantly regretted saying that when you felt their ice-cold faces get close to yours. But you grinned and bared it as Snowdrake took the picture. He began tapping away on his phone with his...thumb-feathers, you guessed.

 

“I’m gonna get so many likes on the Undernet…” he chirped. “Not as many as my awesome jokes, but…” 

 

Eventually, Ice Cap pulled up in front of your house, and you got out. 

 

“Yo, later, dude!”

 

““Ice” meeting you!”

 

“Did you notice my hat?”

 

“Bye-bye,” you called back, waving. “And for the tenth time, yes, I noticed it, bud.” With that, the teens drove off into the night, and you headed inside. Koda was fast asleep on the sofa, but as soon as you turned on the lights, he sprung to life, rushing up to you, tail wagging. You patted his head fur gently.

 

“Hey there, goofball,” you greeted wearily. “You behave?”

 

Woof!

 

“Hmm,” you looked at him suspiciously. “We’ll see what the neighbors say.” You stood up, yawning. “Alrighty...time for bed…”

 

You hadn’t realized how exhausted you were until you stepped into your bedroom and saw your nice, comfy bed sitting there, daring you to jump into it and let it hold you in a warm, blanket-y, embrace. 

 

“Fuck it,” you grunted, turning out the lights and collapsing onto the sheets. You kicked off your shoes and tucked yourself in. Koda curled up next to you, his head resting on your stomach. “G’night, Koda…”

 

And as you drifted off into the land of hopes and dreams, you had only one thought left in your mind: you really did not want to go to work in the morning.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

 

Your eyes snapped open as your phone’s alarm went off. For a moment, you were stuck in a daze, feeling neither awake nor asleep. But that feeling came to pass, and with a swipe of your finger, the alarm was silenced.

“Ugh…” you groaned, shoving your face into your pillow. “Do I have to get up…?” You knew the answer to that already, but...oh, what you wouldn’t give for another day off.

 _Come on, ____,_ you thought, slowly propping yourself up. _Just make it to Thursday._

It seemed Koda had the same mindset as you; despite your shifting and moving around, he was still curled up, grumbling irritably. You patted his back.

“Yeah, yeah, I know, but...we’ve gotta serve and protect,” you told him. “It’s our duty. Come on.” Koda whined, but grudgingly followed you as you got up. You dragged yourself to the kitchen, filling Koda’s food and water dish, before pouring yourself a bowl of cereal. You found yourself watching the MTT Network as you ate. Some sort of bizarre cooking show was on, with the infamous robot star himself making something called a "glamburger" with his less-than-eager cat-like assistant. Although you couldn't see yourself making a glamburger in the near future, it was an entertaining watch.

_Buzz..._

You looked down at your phone in surprise. Who the hell could possibly be texting you this early in the morning? Could it be...John? Your narrowed your eyes as you opened your messages, ready for whatever crap he had to say. 

Only...this wasn't John's number. You didn't recognize this number at all.

**XXX-XXX-XXXX**  
_***Good morning, Officer ____.** _

After a moment's consideration, you decided to respond.

**____**  
_***Good morning. Who is this?** _

**XXX-XXX-XXXX**  
_***Oh, dear, where are my manners? This is Toriel, dear, Frisk's caretaker. My apologies. ;^.^ (That is a sweat-drop "emoticon", by the way.)** _

You couldn't help but smile a little. 

**____**  
_***Oh! Hello, Ms. Toriel. :) Is everything ok? No one's trying to hurt the Ambassador, are they?** _

**Ms. Toriel**  
_***No, no, they are safe. Thanks to you. :)** _

_Oh, God, here comes the blushing..._ you thought as your cheeks reddened.

**Ms. Toriel**  
_***I was actually texting you to ask if you would like to come over to my home for dinner tonight.** _

You blinked, reading the message over a few times to see if you were reading it correctly. The former Queen of Monsters wanted you, some random human, to come to dinner? You had done the monster race a great service, yes, but this just seemed like too much. Your thumbs hovered over the keyboard as you prepared to politely decline, but Toriel was in the middle of texting another message.

**Ms. Toriel**  
_***I understand this is quite sudden, but I thought it would be nice to give you a proper thanks for what you have done for us. Of course, you do not have to come, but please know that we are and always will be extremely grateful for what you did. :)** _

...Damn it...could you really say "no" to such a nice woman and not sound like an asshole? You sighed; you had to do it. Besides, you did sort of make yourself Frisk’s protector, it only made sense to actually get to know the kid you’d be risking your life for.

**____**  
_***Oh, no, no, it’s no trouble at all. I’ll be there at, say, 7-ish?** _

**Ms. Toriel**  
_***Perfect. :) Oh, and I must mention, some other friends of ours will be joining us, if that is alright? They would really like to meet you, as well.** _

**____**  
_**That’s fine. I can’t wait to meet them. :)** _

With that, Toriel texted you her address and left you with a “] :)” (a “Toriel Smiley”, as she put it). Well...tonight was going to be interesting. Too bad you had to go through ten hours of bullshit first.

 

Oh boy...not five minutes into your shift and already you regretted everything. You were just coming out of the police station’s locker room when you ran into...him. You and John stood there in the corridor, staring silently at each other. He had an expression on his face you couldn’t read, not that you cared to decipher it. Koda looked at John, and then at you. Sensing the growing tension, he let out a soft growl.

“Easy, buddy...” you told him. “Let’s go.” You tried to slip past John and walk off without any issue, but, fate didn’t seem to like you all that much.

“____, wait,” John called after you. You didn’t stop. He followed after you. “____, I know you can hear me.”

“I don’t want to talk to you,” you said through gritted teeth. Koda began to growl again.

“Look, I know things went wrong last night, but--”

“Don’t. Just don’t.” You turned, giving John a hard stare. “I don’t want to hear any excuses for how much of a racist asshole you were being last night. Piss off.”

“You’re being unreasonable,” John said. “I know you have this whole “serve and protect” mentality, but those...things...just don’t deserve it.” You stared at John, dumbfounded. How could he say that in such a matter-of-fact tone, as if he wasn’t hurting a race that already suffered for thousands of years. You felt your cheeks heat up as anger filled you; you were ready to chew the man out for being such a stupid, hateful human being...but you stopped yourself. What was the point? To be cruel, selfish, and ignorant...that was all just human nature. That was something you learned long ago...it was about time you accepted it. With that somber thought in mind, you turned and silently walked off with Koda, ignoring John as he continued to call out to you.

 

There was a blank expression on your face as you drove down the road. You were on your way to your first patrol of the day. In the kennel, Koda paced about, yipping excitedly. Normally, you’d laugh at his eagerness. Not today. A cloud had formed in your mind, one you ironically referred to as an old friend. The cloud would come to visit you at the worst times, dragging you down deeper and deeper into a dark abyss. You pulled over on the side of the road, leaning against the steering wheel and rubbing a hand over your face. You looked up at your reflection in the rear-view mirror. There were bags and dark circles under your eyes, as you expected. Hmm...how odd...you skin looked unnaturally pale as well….and your irises looked a lot...redder...than usual--

“Officer ____, come in. Over.”

You jolted, staring down at the radio. Glancing at yourself again in the mirror, you saw nothing but your own reflection.

That was...weird...you thought. You decided not to think about it as you responded to your co-worker.

“This is Officer ____, over.”

“We’ve got a situation at Green Ridge Apartments; an evicted tenant is refusing to leave after several warnings. We need you and your K-9 to report there ASAP. Over.”

“10-4. I’m on my way. Over.”

“Thanks. Over and out.”

With that, you pulled out onto the open road, heading to the complex. You decided to put those bad thoughts to the side. There were more important things to worry about. Besides, it was only a few more hours until your dinner at Toriel’s house. That would make this whole day worth it. At least, you hoped it would.

 

Here you were...the Charlotte City Monster District. You were surprised the local government had even been decent enough to allow one to be set up in the city. In the year the monsters had lived on the surface, some cities had allowed sections of land to be reserved for monsters to live legally, although many opposed to it. You had been to the Monster District quite a few times prior to today. While the station never took calls from monsters seriously, you did make a point to check in every once in a while to see if anyone was antagonizing those who lived there. Back then, the monsters feared you, staying inside and never interacting with you; for all they knew, you could be just as corrupt as any other cop in this city.

That was then. Now, monsters were standing outside and peering out of their windows, waving and calling out to you as you passed. You were an icon now to the monsters, a cop that dared to defy the norm and protect an oppressed race. You almost felt like a star of a red carpet.

...Actually, perhaps that was a bit conceited of you.

You eventually parked on the road in front of Toriel’s house. You stepped outside, pulling your sweater tighter around you as an autumn breeze brushed past you. As the door grew closer and closer, you felt your heart pounding faster and faster. Your mouth got dry, your palms got sweaty, and your breathing was starting to get heavy. You stopped, just inches away from the door. ...You couldn’t do this.

 _Come on, ____,_ you berated yourself. _These monsters like you, you have nothing to worry about. Just go in, and try to be at least tolerable._

You took a deep breath...and knocked on the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was meant to include the dinner as well, but I'm going through some writer's block and I really wanted to get something out. But hey, maybe you'll enjoy this. (I'm really working for that slow burn, guys.)


End file.
